MATC Matters

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Isn’t this morning a perfect snow day – the roads are clear and the trees are beautiful. Please take time to peek out the windows and enjoy the trees especially those of you on the higher floors where you can see the tree tops. We have so much to be thankful for especially during this time of economic difficulties for so many of our students and communities. I repeat my message of last week about how fortunate we are here at MATC as we have resources and the ability to hire top-notch faculty and staff that most colleges just dream about, though we know that our prosperity may be short-lived due to state budget cuts and property devaluations.

At this time of Thanksgiving I am once again thankful for all that you do for our students but also for all that the college does for each of us personally.  I was so impressed to see the article in Sunday’s newspaper about Andy Czerkas and his wife Jenny—and how they started the River Food Pantry (Andy is an information technology instructor here at the college) and to hear about our students collecting canned goods for the Thanksgiving food drive. Thanks also to all of our faculty and staff who have already generously given to the college’s Smart Future campaign.

Fort Atkinson Expansion:
MATC is growing! Last week I had the honor of taking part in the ribbon cutting ceremony for Fort Atkinson’s $2.35 million expansion project. The 10,000 square foot addition includes new state-of-the-art labs and classrooms for nursing and other high-demand health professions.  We would like to extend another thanks to those who helped make this project possible, especially our faculty and staff who donated to this project.

MATC Budget Overview:
Roger Price recently updated the Leadership Council and the MATC Board on the financial state of our college. He reviewed the multi-year planning process and the different parts of our college that have roles in the budget development. The short summary is that we will be okay for the rest of this academic year if enrollment rises by 2 percent for spring semester. If not, we will have to find $850,000 between now and June. Next year, however, promises to be more of a challenge because of anticipated state budget cuts and property devaluations. If you would like a copy of the budget presentation please contact Roger.

MATC Marvels:
When I talk to students and hear about their favorite teachers, I ask them to tell me about someone at MATC who has especially helped them or been kind to them.  Here are the names mentioned to me most recently:
Charles Cunningham, counseling
Ramon Figueroa, math
Amy Whitcomb, business tech
Amy Tatarsky, science
David Sarocka, math
Joni Bernau, student development center
Russ Scott, WolfPack Café gourmet sandwich maker
Kristine Held, business tech

Other MATC Marvels:
Thanks to the following faculty and staff for pitching in to make the Fort Atkinson ribbon cutting event a success: Fred Brechlin, Ally Adams, Carrie Andersen, Renee Anhalt, Lisa Becher, Bill Bessette, Cindy Bowen, Pam Chrostowski-Wright, Susan Crowson, Sue Dalton, Kelly Davis, Jeff Dodge, Marie Dusio, Carol Endl, Debbie Garcia, John Kempf, Kelly Moehling, Deb Hall-Kind, Kris Held, Cathy Krahn Horton, Ellen Haines, Kim Hollman, Ellen Hustad, Paul Husting, Virgil Miller, Jeff Minter, June Partoll, Craig Plain, Chad Schuster, Michele Scolman-Heizmann, Cindy Spankowski, Erin Thornley, and Lorin Toepper.

MATC Foundation Update:
Ann Coyne dropped by the Foundation office recently to deliver a check establishing a permanent endowment for scholarships in the name of her husband, Mark, an Emergency Services instructor and University of Wisconsin Med Flight nurse. Mark Coyne died tragically in the May 11 Med Flight helicopter crash near La Crosse. Ann designated the money to support students enrolled in the EMS and nursing programs. The fund began with memorials to Mark, who was fond of saying, “Education is like a candle…you lose nothing by lighting another candle.” Employees can donate to the scholarship by visiting the Foundation office in Truax Room 254 or by calling extension 6441. You can also designate your SMART FUTURE donation for the Coyne scholarship effort.

Giving Back to the Community:
Here are two wonderful examples of how MATC is giving back to the community. Our Thanksgiving Food Drive collected 1,000 non-perishable food items and $55 for the Goodman Atwood Community Center. Thanks to everyone who donated and kudos to Campus Life Program Coordinator Shaylea Stensven for organizing the food drive.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, Andy Czerkas and his wife Jenny do so much for those in need through their River Food Pantry. They help nearly 200 families with free clothing, food and meals. The pantry is always in need of non-perishable food and clothing.

Highlights of my week:
• met with Kathleen Radionoff, continuing education dean, and her doctoral advisor/liaison Dr. Richard Barrows, faculty member with the Edgewood College doctoral program;
• attended the Leadership Brown Bag where updates were given by Roger Price on the state of the college, Bob Dinndorf on the Smart Future campaign, and Patrick Barlow on the Leadership Academy;
• met with facilities master planning architects JJR LLC;
• attended the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTCI) board meeting;
• visited with the Cambridge High School Board along with MATC District Board trustee Joel Winn to talk about enhancing our services and partnerships with the District (this is one of a series of board-to-board outreach visits we are making to every one of our 40 school districts);
• attended the United Way of Dane County board meeting;
• met with the Phi Theta Kappa executive team to talk about their projects and initiatives;
• attended Vantage Point, a lecture subscription series, where Carolyn “Biddy� Martin was guest speaker;
• met with College Council;
• met with Paul Renzi, auxiliary services manager;
• participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Fort Atkinson campus expansion, followed by a community reception and the district board meeting;
• attended the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Board meeting;
• met with Joe Lowndes, full-time faculty union president;
• attended the calendar cast reception for those donors, alum and students highlighted in the 2009 MATC calendar/annual report;
• held a meeting of the President’s Advisory Team;
• attended the WTCS Coalition kick-off meeting (the coalition is comprised of representatives from the WTCS, District Boards Association, WTCS President’s Association, Wisconsin Education Association Council, American Federation of Teachers, Wisconsin Student Government, and Wisconsin Association of Career and Technical Education; its purpose is to coordinate and promote a unified public policy voice and advocacy effort on behalf of the WTCS — I represent the technical college presidents on the coalition); and
• visited with the Consul General of Japan and district board trustee Josephine Oyama-Miller.

With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, let us reflect and give thanks:

“The only way you can truly get more out of life for yourself is to give part of yourself away.�
Jim Stovall

Thank you to each and every one of you for everything you do for our students.  Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Bettsey